Construction and Architecture Groups Urge President, Congress to Adopt Measures to Boost Design and Construction Work

On Eve of Obama’s Infrastructure Initiative, American Institute of Architects and the Associated General Contractors of America Unite to Promote Design and Construction The American Institute of Architects (AIA) and the Associated General Contractors of America (AGC) issued a joint statement on August 31, 2011, urging policy makers to take immediate steps to create jobs in the design and construction industry. On the eve of the Obama Administration’s major jobs initiative, the AIA and AGC- which together represent nearly 110,000 architects and general contractors - said the effort is designed to highlight how vital the design and construction industry is to the health of the entire economy. The industry employs more than 5 million people and has suffered from unemployment of one and one-half to two times the national average over the last three years.  Both Kermit Baker, chief economist for AIA, and Ken Simonson, chief economist for AGC, noted that investment in infrastructure is critical to the entire economy, as the value of construction put in place each year equals between five and eight percent of annual GDP. "The devastating problems facing the construction industry are crippling our broader economy," said Stephen Sandherr, AGC’s CEO. "You can't fix our economy until you fix the construction industry". Sandherr added that policy makers should act on the proposals outlined in the association's construction industry recovery plan, Build Now for the Future. For more information, please contact Jeff Shoaf at (202) 547-3350 or shoafj@agc.org.